It's an interesting process going back and looking at something I've already written. Sometimes I can remember exactly what I was listening to or watching when I wrote a particular scene. Sometimes I have no clue where a certain thing came from. But I always know that there was a meaning behind what I wrote. There is always something behind the words, something that comes out and makes me feel something. After all, if I didn't feel something, I wouldn't have put it down on paper.
Now, after getting the bare bones of the story out, I'm back to it with the process of reviewing and revising what I had already written and adding in new things to flesh out the story. The reviewing process is something I've always had trouble with. I guess it's because I'm afraid that I'm going to get bored of my own story. Even though these characters have taken up refuge in my brain and been whispering in my ear for months on end, I'm afraid that I'll get tired of their faces and their voices. That I'll give up on the story long before it's ready to be seen by others. And no author wants to give up on beloved characters.
The good thing about the story I'm working on now is that there's so much undercurrent to it that can be played with. I don't have to just focus on my main character as a princess. I can focus on her as a daughter, on her relationship to her mother and her father. Or her place as a sister, on how she relates to her sisters through jealousy or love. Or I can focus on her place as a girl in love. I can delve into her heart and see what makes her tick when that special boy walks in. And we can't forget all the scheming and plotting that goes on in a royal court. There's never a dull moment in a castle.
That's something that I fear, too. That, in the process of telling this story about this girl and how her world changes, the story will get boring. What started out as interesting and compelling will become dry and emotionless. As an author, I write because I want someone to feel something when they read my story. I want to find readers who connect to my characters. The last thing I want is for them to get bored with the tale.
So when I revise and rewrite, I try to see the story with new eyes. What do I like to read? What kind of twists and turns do I enjoy in a story? Then I try to see how I can put them in there.
What do I like to read? That's such a general question that is hard to answer. Obviously, the characters play a large role. They need to be interesting and engaging, and believable. That includes the side characters.
ReplyDeleteThrough all the exploring of the main character's personality and relationships, don't forget the side characters. There are always large numbers of readers who connect to those, so don't neglect explorin those, including some surprising twists and turns.